George Wayne Aldridge, 52, was arrested on February 4, 2023 for three cold case sexual assaults in Lexington, Kentucky. The victims were assaulted between 2009 and 2016. On August 28, 2023, the Kentucky State Police announced that he had also been indicted for a 2005 rape in Louisville, Kentucky.
One of the victims in Lexington was walking in the early morning hours when she was approached by a man in a pickup truck. He drove her to a field where he sexually assaulted her. Afterwards, she was found running down Tates Creek Road with no clothing.
A second victim was also approached by a man in a truck in the early morning hours. A third victim was found in a field in Jessamine County with no clothing, and she could not remember how she came to be there.
The cases were reopened in 2016. DNA profiles of a single suspect were developed from the victims’ sexual assault kits.
The FGG investigation was conducted by Parabon Nanolabs in partnership with the Kentucky State Police and the Lexington Police Department, beginning in 2019. The initial confirmation was made through surreptitious sampling.
The investigation was funded by the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI). SAKI grants are funded by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide financial support to jurisdictions in the U.S. to address the backlog of untested sexual assault kits, investigate and prosecute cases, and support victims of sexual assault. Several FGG cases have been cleared as a result of funding from SAKI. SAKI grants have helped Kansas test a backlog of almost 4,600 sexual assault kits.
Aldridge is facing several counts of kidnapping, rape, sexual abuse, sodomy, and wanton endangerment in Fayette County Circuit Court.
Sources:
Kentucky State Police. “Breakthrough in Sexual Assault Cases Leads to Indictment of George Wayne Aldridge.” Kentucky State Police, August 28, 2023. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://kentuckystatepolice.org/p12-8-28-2023/.
Valentino, Samantha and WKYT News Staff. “Sexual Assault and Kidnapping Suspect Appears in Court.” WKYT News, February 4, 2023. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.wkyt.com/2023/02/04/suspect-arrested-connection-with-abduction-rape-cold-cases/.
Valentino, Samantha and WKYT News Staff. “Suspect in Once Cold Sexual Assault Cases Now Facing Rape Charge.” WKYT News, August 28, 2023. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.wkyt.com/2023/08/28/suspect-once-cold-sexual-assault-cases-now-facing-rape-charge/.